Australian Open Second Round Betting Guide: Tuesday 1/16/24

The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, is underway this week.

We should see plenty of fun matches and storylines emerge over the next couple of weeks, and what better way to get in on the action than by making some wagers on the Australian Open Betting Odds at FanDuel Sportsbook?

Let's see which second-round matches could have the most betting value on Tuesday.

Ons Jabeur vs. Mirra Andreeva

Ons Jabeur (-104)

Arguably the most intriguing matchup of Day 4, we're going to learn a lot about where these two players are at after this one.

Mirra Andreeva may just be 16 years old, but she was named the WTA's 2023 Newcomer of the Year and is already considered a rising star. She made it to the fourth round at last year's Wimbledon, and she's off to a strong start to 2024, advancing to the quarterfinals at Brisbane to crack the top 50 for the first time.

There's no question that a breakout campaign is coming sooner rather than later. That being said, she's yet to prove she can beat the best in the sport, going 0-4 against Top-10 opponents.

Well, it just so happens Ons Jabeur is the World No. 6 and has been a mainstay in the top 10 since the beginning of 2022.

Jabeur does enter this tournament with plenty of questions, though. Since her gut-wrenching 2023 Wimbledon final loss -- making her 0-3 in major title matches -- she's had mixed results, including lopsided losses to Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek in the WTA Finals to end last season.

This is also Jabeur's shakiest Grand Slam despite her generally positive results at the other three in recent years. While Ons was a quarterfinalist here in 2020, it's the only time she's advanced passed the third round, and she was bounced in the second round in 2023.

But she opened this tournament by taking care of business in just over an hour in the opening round, and with a fresh start to a new year, perhaps we see Jabeur get back to her best.

Given the momentum behind Andreeva, it's easy to see why the odds have been going back and forth between a pick 'em and the young Russian being a slight favorite. However, Jabeur is an experienced and crafty opponent who's come ever so close to winning a Grand Slam multiple times, so it's fair to wonder if the betting markets are hopping on the Andreeva train a bit too soon.

According to Tennis Abstract's Elo ratings, Jabeur is projected for a 64.1% win probability, so getting her at close to even money feels like the play.

Gael Monfils vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry

Gael Monfils ML (-156)

At this stage in his career, Gael Monfils probably isn't long for this tournament, but he should have enough left in the tank to make it past Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Over the last 52 weeks on hard courts, Monfils is a respectable 14-9 (61% win percentage), and he showed last summer that he's still capable of hanging with upper-tier players, earning wins over top-15 opponents Stefanos Tsitsipas, Cameron Norrie, and Alex de Minaur. He made it to the quarterfinals at Toronto before falling to Jannik Sinner (one of this year's top Australian Open contenders) and took home the trophy at an ATP 250 (Stockholm) down the stretch.

Monfils also won his first-round match in fairly comfortable fashion, defeating Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets, which is another encouraging sign that he can win a few here.

As for Etcheverry, he's an improving player on this surface but is just 9-12 (43%) on hard courts over the last 52 weeks; he just continues to be much more comfortable on clay. While a straight-sets victory over a still-gritty Andy Murray in the first round shows Etcheverry likely won't be an easy out, Monfils' recent history still suggests the Frenchman should be a bigger favorite.

Per Tennis Abstract, Monfils projects as the winner 79.5% of the time. Even if we were to bump that number down significantly, there's a ton of leeway between this mark and his 60.9% implied odds at -156. His odds were at an even more enticing -128 earlier in the day, too.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.